Fever
by Zanza Flux
Summary: Henry didn't know Bendy could get sick. I guess he learns something new everyday.


**A/N:** I based this story on a BatIM 2D Bendy AU by Shinyzango on Tumblr. Check their work out!

 **Disclaimer:** Bendy and the Ink Machine is owned by TheMeatly.

 **Fever**

"Mr. Henry! Mr. Henry!"

Henry had just pulled up into his driveway. He was coming home from work when he noticed a group of kids running up to him.

"Hey guys. What's wrong?" The children looked scared and was so out of breath. They all started speaking at once and he had to tell them to slow down and go one at a time.

"Mr. Henry! *huff, huff* It's Bendy!" The boy pointed back the way they came and Henry noticed Bendy walking towards him. A little girl had his hand and seemed to be helping him. His smile seemed to be off and he was swaying on his feet.

Henry moved swiftly to intercept the toon and little girl. She looked very upset. "We were playing and everything seemed fine. Then all of a sudden he just fell over!" She sniffled and squeezed Bendy's hand. "I think he's sick Mr. Henry."

Bendy was shaking his head, trying to give the little girl a reassuring smile. "Nah, I'm fine. Besides I can't get.. woah-" He swayed more and would have fallen over if Henry hadn't put his hands on the little toon's shoulder. It was then he noticed Bendy felt a little warm.

"S-sorry guys. Just got a little dizzy there. I'mma okay." Bendy placed his gloved hand against his head. His eyes were half lidded and a slight red rim could be seen around his black eyes. Henry just shook his head before scooping the little toon up in his arms.

"Nah bud, you're sick." The kids gathered around them. They all had concern written all over their faces. It warmed Henry's heart to see the children so worried about his friend. He cleared his throat to get their attention.

"He'll be alright kids. It looks like he's just running a slight fever. I'm going to take him inside. You guys head on home. He'll be playing with y'all before ya know it." All the kids nodded and moved out of the way so Henry could take the little toon into the house. The children shouted their well wishes before running home.

Henry was debating on whether he should take Bendy up to his room or just lay him down on the couch for now. He decided to let him rest on the couch. That way he could keep a closer eye on him and it was just a few steps to the kitchen if he needed something.

He propped a pillow up against the arm rest and laid Bendy on the couch. He put the back of his hand against his head and noticed he felt even warmer. Henry wasn't sure what to do. He didn't even think a creature made of ink could get sick. Maybe he could give him an aspirin to help with his rising fever. He just hoped he wouldn't react too badly to it.

"Hey buddy, I'm gonna get you something for that fever. I'll be back." All he got was a slight nod before Bendy turned on his side, his back to the man. Henry noticed he began to shiver and figured he'd grab a blanket as well.

Henry ran upstairs and headed for the bathroom. He opened his medicine cabinet and took one aspirin out of the bottle. He then went into Bendy's room to grab a blanket and his teddy bear from off his bed. He ran back downstairs and placed the blanket on the back of the couch before heading into the kitchen to get a glass of water.

He could hear the poor little toon moaning softly as he got closer. Henry shook Bendy's shoulder gently and waited for the toon to turn to him. Henry put his arm behind the toon's back to help him sit up. He handed him the glass and the pill and told the toon to swallow it. Bendy was so out of it he didn't even argue, popping the aspirin in his mouth and downing the entire glass of water in three big gulps. Henry took the glass from him and sat it on the coffee table.

Henry helped Bendy lay back down and covered the shivering toon with the blanket. He also handed him his teddy bear. The toon looked up at the man and thanked him as he snuggles up with the plush bear. Henry frowned at how bright the red around his eyes was. It almost glowed.

"Okay buddy, just get some rest. You'll be back to normal before you know it." He went to walk away when Bendy's gloved hand shot out and grabbed Henry by the pant's leg. "C-Can you stay with me? Please?" The poor toon looked so miserable.

"Sure thing bud. Scoot down a bit." He helped the toon sit up and moved down, giving Henry enough space to sit next to the arm of the couch. He placed the pillow in his lap and let Bendy rest his head on it. The toon sighed softly and curled up on his side. Henry placed his hand against Bendy's cheek and frowned when he felt even hotter. He really hoped that aspirin will kick in soon.

"Mmmm I dunno what happen'd. I was jus' fine earlier-" Benry scrunched up his face as he tried to talk. It was coming out a little slurred. "then all of a sud'en, BOOM, my head's feelin' all fuzzy." he shuddered under the blanket. Henry rubbed his cheek and the little toon sighed softly.

"Is this what's it like to get sick? I mean, I did a cartoon once where I got sick and Bo' had to take care of me. B-But it was jus' pretend, ya know. Jus' to make people laugh." He groaned and clutched at his teddy bear. "This isn't fun at all." he whined. It made Henry chuckle.

"Being sick is never fun. Once your fever breaks, you'll start to feel better." At least Henry hoped so. This was a first for both of them.

"If you're hungry, I can make you some chicken noodle soup. I'm sure I have a can in there, somewhere." The little toon just shook his head.

"Not hungry. Jus' stay with me, okay?" Henry agreed and rubbed his back through the blanket. He really didn't like the way he could feel the increasing heat even through the thick quilt. Maybe he'll wait for Bendy to go to sleep then go into the kitchen to throw together an ice pack.

Henry sat there for half an hour and watched helplessly as Bendy's shivering got worse. It made it hard for the little toon to rest properly. Every time it looked like he'd finally drift off to sleep. His body would jerk and he'd be awake again.

After about twenty more minutes and some tossing and turning, the little toon finally fell asleep. It was fitful, but he was resting. Henry slowly slipped out from under the pillow and crept off to the kitchen. He rifled through his bottom cabinets until he found his empty ice bag and a small empty cooler. He was glad he still had the bag. He often used it when an old leg injury would flare up.

He went into his freezer and pulled out half a bag of ice. He filled the ice bag up with a few cubes before dumping the rest into the cooler. He had a feeling he'll be going through a lot of ice before Bendy's fever broke.

He closed the cooler up and carried it and the ice bag into the living room. Henry stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed Bendy was standing up between the couch and the coffee table. His head was bowed and whole body was swaying from side to side. Before Henry could say anything the toon fell to his knees.

Henry was shocked and took one step towards Bendy when he stopped again. He watched, wide eyes, as Bendy began to change. It wasn't the first time the little toon had been able to change forms once they left the studio. Normally Henry wasn't worried because his other forms were more stable and Bendy rarely went berserk.

The reason Henry didn't move from his spot was because this transformation was… different. Instead of a smooth body growing bigger with ink rising off his back, Bendy looked like a melting wax figure. The ink was flowing down a body that was increasing in size by the minute. His horns were longer and crooked with strands of ink hanging from them. They connected to the back of his head and upper back. Ink was flowing down his face and covered both eyes and continued down until it was hanging off his chin. Strands stuck to his mouth making his strange grin look even more disturbing.

By the time the change was complete, Bendy was kneeling in a pool of thick ink that didn't flow too far from his body. The ink look stuck between being solid and somewhat liquid at the same time. He could barely make out the shape of his massive hands. The fingers looked almost melted together.

He noticed that Bendy kept swinging his head from side to side. Long ropes of ink was either swaying with his head or sticking to his upper chest. Even his cute white bow tie was oozing down the length of his chest. He would growl softly and tilt his head to the side before swinging it again. The growl didn't sound threatening. If anything he sounded confused.

His behavior was making Henry a little nervous. He had never seen his friend like this before. He couldn't stand there all day and do nothing. He needed to see if Bendy would lash out or not.

"H-Hey buddy-" Bendy seemed to jolt back a bit as though Henry's voice startled him. Why would his voice scare him? He's standing right in front of him.

" **HeNrY?"** He tilted his head again. **"I- wHerE ArE yOu? WHy iS iT sO dArK?"** Now Henry was really confused. He quietly placed the cooler and ice pack on the coffee table and moved closer to the ink demon. He almost backed away because of the amount of heat rolling off the large body. _Could he be having a fever dream?'_ Henry wondered. He raised his hand to Bendy's massive head and waved it in front of where his eyes should be. He got no response. _'I don't think he can see me…'_

" **H-hEnRy? ArE yOu StIll hEre?"** Henry's heart sank. The poor toon sounded so confused and scared.

"I'm here Bendy." He placed his hands on either side of his massive head. Henry winced. The ink was flowing between his fingers and it was really hot. Bendy let out a garbled sigh and leaned into his touch.

" **WHere arE wE? ARE wE in ThE StUdiO?"** The toon whined softly. **"wE NeED To lEaVe!"** His head began to sway from side to side franticly. Henry could barely keep his hands on the toon's face. **"I-I DoN't WAnT you tO GeT hUrT ANymOrE!"** That last statement made Henry's breath hitch. Henry gripped Bendy's head with a little more force to stop his movement and leaned in close and pressed his forehead to Bendy's. He closed his eyes and grimaced. The ink was very hot and seemed to stick to his skin. He'd endure it to help his friend.

"No buddy, we're not in the studio. We're home, remember?"

" **HOmE?"**

"That's right. Home. Remember we escaped the studio and you came to live with me?" Bendy let loose a confused whine. "Remember all the neighborhood kids? How much you like playing with them?"

Henry watched as the ink demon leaned back before bobbed his massive head. **"oH YeAh, ThE kiDS. I rEMeMbeR…"** His whole body seemed to slump over and he let out a garbled sigh.

"Getting tired buddy?" Bendy huffed softly as his head bobbed up and down. Henry reached out and patted the top of his head. "Okay, give me a minute."

He looked around. The couch was out of the question. He doubt Bendy could make it up the stairs the way he was right now. Looks like the floor was his best bet. He pushed the coffee table to the side, set the cooler and ice pack on the floor and grabbed the blanket.

Henry sat down on the floor with his back against the couch. He crossed his legs and draped the blanket in his lap. "Hey Bendy-" The toon's head swiveled in his direction. "come here bud." He lowered his large head enough for the man to reach out and touch his cheek. With a gurgling sigh, the toon's entire body collapsed with a floor shaking thump. Henry gently guided his head until it was resting in his lap. _'Man, it's like sitting too close to a furnace.'_ Henry thought as the demon settled down next to him.

He reached out and grabbed the ice bag. He placed it on top of Bendy's head gently. The toon whimpered and shuddered slightly. "I know it's cold bud, but this'll really help. Just relax." Bendy nodded slightly before wrapping one of his arms around Henry's body. He was already starting to sweat. 'Oh well, I've been through worse… sorta.' he chuckled to himself.

Henry spent nearly two hours refilling the bag with ice and applying it to Bendy's head before he felt his body temperature began to fall. Henry was relieved but also very tired. He laid his head back against the couch and closed his eyes. _'This isn't the best spot for me to take a nap. I'm gonna feel this in the morning.'_ But he was alright with that. As long as his friend got better, he could put up with a little discomfort. With that thought in mind and the gentle rumblings of Bendy's large sleeping form pressed against him, he drifted off to sleep.

 **-OoOoOoOoO-**

Bendy groaned softly. He didn't know where he was, but it definitely wasn't in his bed. It was a struggle to open his eyes. They felt so sore and heavy. After a few tries he managed to crack them open. He found himself in the living room… on the floor? Well, not completely on the floor. Half of his body was resting in Henry's lap. The man was leaning forward and lightly snoring. His hand was resting on the little toon's head.

"H-Henry? Henry?" Bendy reached out and tapped the man's leg. It took a few tries but his eyes fluttered open. He looked down at the toon with a soft smile on his face.

"Good morning bud. How ya feelin'?" Henry placed the back of his hand against the toon's forehead. He was still warm but not as bad as last night. "Looks like your fever's broke."

Bendy reached up and rubbed his head. "Everything still feels a little fuzzy. What happened last night? Why are we on the floor? The last thing I remember was fallin' asleep on the couch…" Henry just chuckled. _'Of course he wouldn't remember much.'_

"Ya know what, I'll tell you later. Right now, lets get off the floor and back on the couch." Henry helped the toon get to his feet. He swayed a bit but manage to clamber onto the couch. He laid down and curled up against the pillow.

Henry stood up and stretched. He was stiff and he felt a few satisfying pops from his back. He looked around and noticed that there were only a few ink stains on the hardwood floor. Bendy must have pulled himself together sometime during the night. The little toon never ceased to amaze him.

He picked up the blanket off the floor and draped it over Bendy's body. He gave the toon's shoulder a gentle squeeze before heading to the kitchen. He decided to call in sick today. There was no way he was going to leave his friend home alone. He put the kettle on the stove and grabbed two mugs from the top cabinets. Coffee for himself and tea for Bendy.

Henry leaned over the counter and let his thoughts drift. After everything that happened last night, he realized that he still had a lot to learn about taking care of a living toon. He'll just be better prepared next time. _'Looks like I'll be stocking up on ice and aspirin.'_ That thought made a smile tug at his lips. Live and learn right? In the end, he wouldn't give this up for the world.


End file.
